Loved this short prequel. Great characters!
It felt like I was right there with Shane, Mike and Pops.
It was cute, suspenseful and funny.
I am so looking forward to Hot Seat which I plan to read ASAP! ( )

Fantastic. Funny, intriguing, clever, packed with danger, terrific characters, the whole thing the meet-cute for book one of a new series by two of my favorite authors. One of the most impressive prequels I've had the pleasure of reading, all packed into less than a novelette, I think. Gonna go pre-order book 1 now! ( )

Really good writing, I loved this little story. ( )

Fireman’s Carry is the intro book to a new series called ‘The Hot Cannolis’. It stars Shane, a twink who’s a bit on the flamboyant and dramatic side. The fireman is Mike Canali, the youngest in a family of macho brothers and men who are all firefighters. This story is told in first person through Shane and Mike’s pov.



I picked up this book from the ‘Your Book Boyfriend’s Boyfriend’ free giveaway on Prolific Works. Over a hundred authors wrote books and joined together to give away their books for this event. The event lasts for a year, so there’s enough time to grab whatever books you want from this giveaway. This story is the first one I chose to read.

First I’ll talk about the cover. I like it. It fits the description of Mike and how Shane sees him.

As to the story, it was terrific! Terrifically intense on the edge of your seat intense. Downright scary, heart beating wildly and fear-filled in such a short book. It starts right in the midst of danger as Shane is heading back into the fire zone to rescue his stubborn grandfather who refused to leave his home. On the way back, he runs into a barrier that stops traffic returning. Luckily for him some firemen arrive and one is assigned to go with him to collect his grandfather. That man is Mike. This story is a quick get to know you between Shane and Mike, the rescue of the grandfather and a lot of other trapped residents. It’s just the very start of their relationship. At the end Shane realizes Mike is not out to anyone, but he decides to take a chance anyway. Their date is set up for the next book.

On the subject of the next book, it will be co-written with Tara Lain. I’m going to voice my honest opinion here. I like Tara Lain’s stories. I’ve read many of them and will read more in the future, but I don’t think this series should be co-written. The two authors write differently. Tara Lain’s men tend to be over the top, more fantasy type men not based so much in reality. While Eli Easton, even though writing fantasy, like her ‘Howl at the Moon’ series, tackles topics and men more realistically. Shane is a twink, Tara Lain likes to write stories about twinks, and they’re usually over the top caricatures of men. ‘Betting on His BF’ is an excellent example of TL’s handprint. Shane is somewhat dramatic in this story, but there’s a core of steel to him and Eli Easton wrote a very good Shane. It would be a shame if Shane’s personality changed because a different author was writing him. I really wish the authors hadn’t teamed up to write the ‘Hot Cannolis’ series, and that Eli Easton had decided to write it herself instead. I’ll likely read it because both authors are two of my favorites. I just don’t think the upcoming series should’ve been co-authored. I have a feeling it will be more superficial because of the co-writing. I hope I’m wrong.

Anyway, Eli Easton did a terrific job with characterization and the feelings of fear, desperation and the whole atmosphere of being caught in a wildfire. I live in California and am very familiar with the wildfires we get here every year and the tragedies that follow in their wake. This book really captured those feelings.

The author did an excellent job writing Fireman’s Carry. I just wish she had decided to write the series herself instead of co-writing it. I give this book 5 Stars because it was really that good. I’m crossing all my fingers and toes that the next book in the series is going to be as good, but I won’t hold my breath.
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